Connector assembly with an elastic piece

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a connector assembly. The connector assembly includes an adapter, a connector and a handle, where a first socket is formed at one end of the adapter, an adaptation slide extending inwards from the first socket is formed in an inner wall of the adapter, and an adaptation window is opened at one end of the adaptation slide close to the first socket; the connector is provided with an elastic piece, and the elastic piece is movable along a Z-axis direction; and the handle is connected to a rear end of the connector and is capable of sliding between a first position and a second position of the connector along an X-axis direction. The beneficial effect provided is as below. The handle always remains connected to the connector.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application No.201911119841.3 filed on Nov. 15, 2019, disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of connectors, andin particular, to a connector assembly.

BACKGROUND

In the configuration of present high density panels, a structural designof adjacent connectors and cable assemblies has certain defects thathinder the disassembly of the whole. For example, a user's hand isrequired to reach into a dense connector group and separate opticalfibers around connectors from the connectors, which requires a largeforce. This force may easily damage the cables and connectors, and maygenerate security risks, impair the integrity and/or reliability of theterminal, and cause serious disruptions to network performance.

Although an operator may attempt to use a screwdriver to reach into adense connector group to disassemble a mechanism, adjacent cables andconnectors may interfere with the operator's line of sight, andresulting in difficulty in guiding a tool to the release mechanismwithout pushing away the adjacent cables. Even when the operator has aclear line of sight, it is troublesome to guide the tool to the insideof the connector. Therefore, when a single connector is disassembled,due to the design defect of the connector, it is easy to forminterference to other adjacent connectors, such as misalignment of otherconnectors, resulting in interruption of equipment connection.

SUMMARY

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assemblyto solve the problem that the related connector is not easy todisassemble.

To achieve the objects, the present disclosure adopts technicalsolutions described below.

A connector assembly includes an adapter, a connector and a handle.

A first socket is formed at one end of the adapter, an adaptation slideextending inwards from the first socket is formed in an inner wall ofthe adapter, and an adaptation window is opened at one end of theadaptation slide close to the first socket.

The connector is provided with an elastic piece, and the elastic pieceis movable along a Z-axis direction.

The handle is connected to a rear end of the connector and can slipbetween a first position and a second position of the connector along anX-axis direction.

A front end of the connector is capable of being inserted in theadaptation slide along the X-axis direction so that the elastic pieceengages with the adaptation window in a snap-fit way, and during asliding of the handle from the first position to the second position,the elastic piece deforms and disengages from the adaptation window.

The handle always remains connected to the connector. A positionrelationship between the handle and the connector is adjusted throughpulling the handle to adjust a state of the elastic piece. During asliding of the handle from the first position to the second position,the elastic piece deforms and disengages from the adaptation window,thus separating the connector from the adapter. If it is necessary toconnect the connector to the adapter, the connector can be pushed alongthe adaptation slide to achieve the connection.

Alternatively, the connector further includes a connector main body anda connector secondary body, where the connector main body is capable ofbeing configured in the adapter, the connector secondary body isconfigured in the handle, an abutting step face is formed between theconnector main body and the connector secondary body, and a limitingprotrusion is formed at one end of the connector secondary body facingaway from the connector main body, and where the abutting step facelimits the first position, and the limiting protrusion limits the secondposition.

The connector includes the connector main body that can be configured inthe adapter and the connector secondary body that is configured in thehandle, and is provided with two restraining points limiting the slideof the handle.

Alternatively, one end of the connector main body close to the connectorsecondary body is gradually narrowed along the Z-axis direction, one endof the elastic piece is disposed on the connector main body, and theother end of the elastic piece extends to a lateral side of the limitingprotrusion.

The one end of the elastic piece is fixed on the connector main body,and the one end of the connector body is gradually narrowed along the Zaxis direction to form an interval between the other end of the elasticpiece and the limiting protrusion. The other end of the elastic piece ismovable along the Z axis direction due to the existence of the interval.

Alternatively, the elastic piece is provided with a first protrusionportion and a second protrusion portion, the first protrusion portion isconfigured to engage with the adaptation window in a snap-fit way, andthe second protrusion portion is configured to engage with the handle.

The first protrusion portion can engage with the adaptation window in asnap-fit way to achieve the connection between the connector and theadapter, and the second protrusion portion can engage with the handle,so that no random shaking occurs between the handle and the connector.

Alternatively, a front end of the handle is provided with a front handleinterface extending along the Z-axis direction, and a rear handleinterface extending along the X-axis direction is formed in a rear endof the front handle interface, where the front handle interface iscommunicated with the rear handle interface, the connector secondarybody is slidably disposed in the front handle interface and the rearhandle interface, and at the same time, the second protrusion portion iscapable of engaging with the front handle interface.

Alternatively, a front end of the front handle interface is providedwith two first detent mechanisms, the connector secondary body protrudesinto the front handle interface and the rear handle interface frombetween the two first detent mechanisms, and the two first detentmechanisms are slidably disposed between the abutting step face and thelimiting protrusion.

The connector secondary body and the rear handle interface are locatedon a same straight line, and when the connector secondary body movesforwards and backwards along the X-axis direction, the connectorsecondary body is always limited between the abutting step face and thelimiting protrusion by the first detent mechanism.

Alternatively, the front end of the front handle interface is providedwith second detent mechanisms, where the second detent mechanisms aredisposed at lateral sides of the two first detent mechanisms along theZ-axis direction, and the second protrusion portion is configured to beguided by the second detent mechanisms to move along the Z-axisdirection.

The second protrusion portion is limited between the second detentmechanism and first detent mechanism, and the second protrusion portionis guided by the second detent mechanism to move in the Z-axisdirection.

Alternatively, the front handle interface is a through interface alongthe Z-axis direction.

The front handle interface is a through interface along the Z-axisdirection so that adjustment of the state of the elastic piece isfacilitated.

Alternatively, two ends of the connector along the Z-axis direction areprovided with two elastic pieces on a one-to-one basis, where a frontend of the two elastic pieces is further provided with a key, and thekey fits in the adaptation slide.

The two elastic pieces are provided so that the connector is connectedto the adapter along two directions of the Z-axis, thereby improving thestability.

Alternatively, a side of the handle corresponding to the key is providedwith an appearance protrusion.

The appearance protrusion is provided on the side of the handlecorresponding to the key so that it is convenient to distinguish aninsertion direction.

The beneficial effect of the present disclosure is as below.

The handle always remains connected to the connector. The positionrelationship between the handle and the connector is adjusted throughpulling the handle to adjust the state of the elastic piece. During thesliding of the handle from the first position to the second position,the elastic piece deforms and disengages from the adaptation window,thus separating the connector from the adapter. If it is necessary toconnect the connector to the adapter, the connector can be pushed alongthe adaptation slide to achieve the connection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a structure view of a connector assembly according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the connector assembly shown in FIG. 1 ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a structure view of a connector of the connector assemblyaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a structure view of an adapter of the connector assemblyaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a structure view of a handle of the connector assemblyaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A of a handleshown in FIG. 5.

REFERENCE LIST

1 adapter

2 connector

3 handle

11 adaptation slide

12 adaptation window

20 elastic piece

21 connector main body

22 connector secondary body

30 appearance protrusion

31 front handle interface

32 rear handle interface

201 first protrusion portion

202 second protrusion portion

203 key

210 abutting step face

220 limiting protrusion

321 first detent mechanism

322 second detent mechanism

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter the present disclosure will be further described in detailin conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. It is to be understoodthat the specific embodiments set forth below are intended to illustrateand not to limit the present disclosure. Additionally, it is to be notedthat, for ease of description, only part, not all, of the structuresrelated to the present disclosure are illustrated in the drawings.

In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise expresslyspecified and limited, the term “connected to each other”, “connected”or “fixed” is to be construed in a broad sense, for example, aspermanently connected, detachably connected, or integrated; mechanicallyconnected or electrically connected; directly connected to each other orindirectly connected to each other via an intermediary; or internallyconnected or interactional between two components. For those skilled inthe art, the preceding terms can be construed depending on specificcontexts.

In the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified andlimited, when a first feature is described as “above” or “below” asecond feature, the first feature and the second feature may be indirect contact or be in contact via another feature between the twofeatures. Moreover, when the first feature is described as “on”, “above”or “over” the second feature, the first feature is right on, above orover the second feature or the first feature is obliquely on, above orover the second feature, or the first feature is simply at a higherlevel than the second feature. When the first feature is described as“under”, “below” or “underneath” the second feature, the first featureis right under, below or underneath the second feature or the firstfeature is obliquely under, below or underneath the second feature, orthe first feature is simply at a lower level than the second feature.

In the description of the present embodiment, the orientation orposition relationships indicated by terms “above”, “below”, “right” andthe like are based on the orientation or position relationships shown inthe drawings, merely for facilitating description of the presentdisclosure and simplifying operation, and these relationships do notindicate or imply that the referred device or element has a specificorientation and is constructed and operated in a specific orientation,and thus it is not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure.In addition, the terms “first” and “second” in the specification areonly used for descriptive purposes and have no special meanings.

A connector assembly is provided in the present disclosure and includesan adapter 1, a connector 2 and a handle 3, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.One end of the connector 2 is detachably connected to the adapter 1, andthe other end of the connector 2 is slidably connected to the handle 3.The connector 2 is internally provided with a ferrule and a wireharness, and the ferrule extends outwards from the inside of theconnector 2. When the adapter 1 and the connector 2 are connected, theferrule protrudes from the adapter 1, one end of the wire harness isconnected to the ferrule, and the other end of the wire harness extendsbackwards into the handle 3. This part belongs to the related art andwill not be repeated here.

In combination with FIG. 4, a first socket is formed at one end of theadapter 1, an adaptation slide 11 extending inwards from the firstsocket is formed in an inner wall of the adapter 1, and an adaptationwindow 12 is opened at one end of the adaptation slide 11 close to thefirst socket.

In the present embodiment, four adaptation slides 11 and eightadaptation windows 12 are formed in the inner wall of the adapter 1along a Y-axis direction.

It is to be noted that in another alternative embodiment, only oneadaptation window 12 is provided for each of the four adaptation slides11 along the Y-axis direction, and in this case, the adapter 1 has fouradaptation windows 12.

Referring to FIG. 3, the connector 2 is provided with an elastic piece20, and the elastic piece 20 is movable along a Z-axis direction.

The handle 3 is slidably connected to the connector 2 and can slidebetween a first position and a second position of the connector 2 alongan X-axis direction. A front end of the connector 2 can be inserted inthe adaptation slide 11 along the X-axis direction so that the elasticpiece 20 engages with the adaptation window 12 in a snap-fit way. Duringthe sliding of the handle 3 from the first position to the secondposition, the elastic piece 20 deforms and disengages from theadaptation window 12.

The handle 3 always remains connected to the connector 2. A positionrelationship between the handle 3 and the connector 2 is adjustedthrough pulling the handle 3 to adjust a state of the elastic piece 20.During the sliding of the handle 3 from the first position to the secondposition, the elastic piece 20 deforms and disengages from theadaptation window 12, thus separating the connector 2 from the adapter1. If it is necessary to connect the connector 2 to the adapter 1, theconnector 2 can be pushed along the adaptation slide 11 to achieve theconnection.

Referring to FIG. 3, the connector 2 further includes a connector mainbody 21 and a connector secondary body 22, where the connector main body21 can be configured in the adapter 1, the connector secondary body 22is configured in the handle 3, an abutting step face 210 is formedbetween the connector main body 21 and the connector secondary body 22,and a limiting protrusion 220 is formed at one end of the connectorsecondary body 22 facing away from the connector main body 21. Theabutting step face 210 limits the first position, and the limitingprotrusion 220 limits the second position.

One end of the connector main body 21 close to the connector secondarybody 22 is gradually narrowed along the Z-axis direction, one end of theelastic piece 20 is disposed on the connector main body 21, and theother end of the elastic piece 20 extends to a lateral side of thelimiting protrusion 220.

The connector main body 21 is shaped to gradually narrow along theZ-axis direction at an end thereof so that a movement range of theelastic piece 20 along the Z-axis direction is further increased, and aportion of the elastic piece 20 that is farther away from the adapter 1has a larger movement range.

The elastic piece 20 is provided with a first protrusion portion 201 anda second protrusion portion 202, where the first protrusion portion 201is configured to engage with the adapter window 12 in a snap-fit way,and the second protrusion portion 202 is configured to engage with thehandle 3.

It is to be noted that the first protrusion portion 201 is disposed on asurface of the elastic piece 20, and the second protrusion 202 extendsoutwards from an end of the elastic piece 20 and forms an obtuse anglewith the elastic piece 20.

In the present embodiment, two ends of the connector 2 along a Z-axisdirection are each provided with an elastic piece 20, where a front endof one elastic piece 20 on an upper side of FIG. 3 is further providedwith a key 203, and the key 203 fits in the adaptation slide 11. Thatis, in a case where the connector 2 is aligned with the adaptation slide11, the key 203 slips into the adaptation slide 11, thereby making theconnector 2 and the adapter 1 more stable when connected.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, a front handle interface 31 extending alongthe Z-axis direction is disposed at a front end of the handle 3, and arear handle interface 32 extending along the X-axis direction is formedat a rear end of the front handle interface 31, where the front handleinterface 31 is communicated with the rear handle interface 32, theconnector secondary body 22 is slidably disposed in the front handleinterface 31 and the rear handle interface 32, and the second protrusionportion 202 can engage with the front handle interface 31.

A front end of the front handle interface 31 is provided with two firstdetent mechanisms 321, the connector secondary body 22 protrudes intothe front handle interface 31 and the rear handle interface 32 frombetween the two first detent mechanisms 321, and the two first detentmechanisms 321 are slidably disposed between the abutting step face 210and the limiting protrusion 220.

The front end of the front handle interface 31 is provided with a seconddetent mechanism 322, where the second detent mechanism 322 is disposedat a lateral side of the two first detent mechanisms 321 along theZ-axis direction, and the second protrusion portion 202 is configured tobe guided by the second detent mechanism 322 to move along the Z-axisdirection.

Further, the front handle interface 31 is a through interface along theZ-axis direction.

Further, a side of the handle 3 corresponding to the key 203 is providedwith an appearance protrusion 30.

The appearance protrusion 30 is provided on the side of the handle 3corresponding to the key 203 so that it is convenient to distinguish aninsertion direction.

Apparently, the above embodiments of the present disclosure are merelyillustrative of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit theembodiments of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can makevarious apparent modifications, adaptations and substitutions withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. Embodiments of thepresent disclosure cannot be and do not need to be exhausted herein. Anymodifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements within thespirit and principle of the present disclosure fall within the scope ofthe claims of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A connector assembly, comprising: an adapter,wherein a first socket is formed at one end of the adapter, anadaptation slide extending inwards from the first socket is formed in aninner wall of the adapter, and an adaptation window is opened at one endof the adaptation slide close to the first socket; a connector, whereinthe connector is provided with an elastic piece, and the elastic pieceis movable along a Z-axis direction; and a handle, wherein the handle isconnected to a rear end of the connector and is capable of slidingbetween a first position and a second position of the connector along anX-axis direction, wherein a front end of the connector is capable ofbeing inserted in the adaptation slide along the X-axis direction sothat the elastic piece engages with the adaptation window in a snap-fitway, and during a sliding of the handle from the first position to thesecond position, the elastic piece deforms and disengages from theadaptation window, wherein the elastic piece is provided with a firstprotrusion portion and a second protrusion portion, the first protrusionportion is configured to engage with the adaptation window in a snap-fitway, and the second protrusion portion is configured to engage with thehandle, and wherein during the sliding of the handle from the firstposition to the second position, the second protrusion portion is guidedby the handle to move along the Z-axis direction so that the elasticpiece is deformed to enable disengagement of first protrusion portionfrom the adaptation window.
 2. The connector assembly of claim 1,wherein the connector further comprises a connector main body and aconnector secondary body; wherein the connector main body is capable ofbeing configured in the adapter, the connector secondary body isconfigured in the handle, an abutting step face is formed between theconnector main body and the connector secondary body, and a limitingprotrusion is formed at one end of the connector secondary body facingaway from the connector main body; and wherein the abutting step facelimits the first position, and the limiting protrusion limits the secondposition.
 3. The connector assembly of claim 2, wherein one end of theconnector main body close to the connector secondary body is graduallynarrowed along the Z-axis direction, one end of the elastic piece isdisposed on the connector main body, and the other end of the elasticpiece extends to a lateral side of the limiting protrusion.
 4. Theconnector assembly of claim 1, wherein a front end of the handle isprovided with a front handle interface extending along the Z-axisdirection, and a rear handle interface extending along the X-axisdirection is formed in a rear end of the front handle interface, thefront handle interface is communicated with the rear handle interface,the connector secondary body is slidably disposed in the front handleinterface and the rear handle interface, and the second protrusionportion is capable of engaging with the front handle interface.
 5. Theconnector assembly of claim 4, wherein a front end of the front handleinterface is provided with two first detent mechanisms, the connectorsecondary body protrudes into the front handle interface and the rearhandle interface from between the two first detent mechanisms, and thetwo first detent mechanisms are slidably disposed between the abuttingstep face and the limiting protrusion.
 6. The connector assembly ofclaim 5, wherein the front end of the front handle interface is providedwith second detent mechanisms, wherein the second detent mechanisms aredisposed at lateral sides of the two first detent mechanisms along theZ-axis direction, and the second protrusion portion is configured to beguided by the second detent mechanisms to move along the Z-axisdirection.
 7. The connector assembly of claim 6, wherein the fronthandle interface is a through interface along the Z-axis direction. 8.The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein two ends of the connectoralong the Z-axis direction are provided with two elastic pieces on aone-to-one basis, wherein a front end of one of the two elastic piecesis further provided with a key, and the key fits in the adaptationslide.
 9. The connector assembly of claim 8, wherein a side of thehandle corresponding to the key is provided with an appearanceprotrusion.